BCP Council cutting ties with large leisure centre operator
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is ending a long-standing contract with Everyone Active
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council are bringing leisure centre services ‘in-house’ in a bid to save money.
Cllr Richard Herrett told us: “Given the financial position of the council, we thought it’d be best to take them back in house, so there's been extensive work since then to make sure we give residents the best access to the high-quality spot and leisure activities, locally.”
BCP Council’s contract with Everyone Active, who run Rossmore, Ashdown and Poole Dolphin, expires at the end of the month (September 31st).
Cllr Herrett said: “We know there will be a long-term saving as a result of this decision, meanwhile in the short-term we are looking to invest in the leisure centres, putting them in the best position to succeed.
“I think we're looking to make investment in them, modernize them and like really bring them up to date.
“We’re going to try and boost membership and ensure they're profitable as ultimately now it’s in our best interest to make sure they’re well used.”
Despite some customers fearing this could lead to a price hike, BCP Council assure us there’ll be no change.
“The decision gives us full control over all aspects of the service, including pricing, programming and meeting the needs of the local community,” Cllr Herrett said.
“It also means there's some opportunities there for residents to have their say on the service as we're fully account accountable to them and can act on their feedback rather than going through an external agency.”
The council say they ‘carefully considered’ their options but given the success of Two Riversmeet in Christchurch, which is also run by the council, they decided to go with the ‘in-house model’.